weston



2 Sheets-Sheet 1f.

(No Model.)

T. A. WESTON. FRIGTION GLUTGH.

Patented`Jan. 15, 1889.

N. PETERS. Pwto-uthnghpher. wzshingmn, Dx;

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

' T. A. WESTON.

PRIGTION CLUTCH.

No. 396,315. Patented Jan. 15, 1889.

3y 71116 vH-,orngys N. PETRS, Plwl UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. VESTON, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR. TO THE YALE Je TOVN E MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FRICTION-CLUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,315, dated January 15, 1889. Application filed May 11, 1888. Serial No. 273,570. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. WESTON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Stamford, Fairfield county, Connecticut, have invented certain Improvements in Friction- Clutches, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to construct a disk friction-clutch that can be operated by a minimum of applied pressure, and one wherein the power transmitted shall always be uniformly proportionate to the applied pressure or a constant multiple thereof. Then applied to a hoisting-drum, this characteristic enables the operator to determine exactly the hauling effect of the drum by the force he applies to the hand-lever; and when the clutch is applied to a driving pulley or shaft, &c., the coupling or clutch can be operated by a weighted lever, the weight and leverage indicating exactly the transmitted f power, beyond which any excess of resistance will simply cause the clutch to slip, thus avoiding breakages and accidents.

ln the 'accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal section of my improved clutch as applied to a power-driven hoisting-drum. Fig. 2 is an end elevation, looking in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a sectional perspective view of my improved clutch applied to a dri ving-pulley for shafting.

I will first describe my invention in connection with the hoisting-drum illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

A is the power-shaft of the hoisting-engine, and E is the friction pulley or clutch7 integral with the winding-drum B, A being' a hub securely keyed to the shaft A, and provided on its periphery with keys a', which engage with a series of disks, c, termed the shaftdisks. To the inner periphery of the rim of the friction-pulley B are secured keys which engage with a series of friction-disks, b, arranged alternately with the shaft-disks a, and which may be termed the pulleydisks.

B2 is a pressure-plate engaging with the keys b of the pulley, so that said plate is caused to turn with the pulley. This pressure-plate is moved toward the disks@ I), so to press them into friction al con tact, by means of plain straight levers C, which radiate from a common central collar, D, to their respective pivot-pins c in or near the pulley-rim, the pivot-pins being secured, in the present instance, to bolts E, passing through the rim, and provided with adjusting-nuts c, in order to regulate the position of the pix'fot-pins c in respect to the face of the pressure-plate B2, so as to insure uniform pressure of all the levers and compensate for the effects of wear.

The inner free ends of the levers C are adapted to pockets in the collar D, so that as the collar is moved longitudinally on the shaft the levers C will act uniformly upon the disk B2, each lever C being provided with a projection, d, which bears against the disk BQ-preferably near its periphery-bearingplates d beingl used, if desired, as shown in Fig. l.

The collar D is forced inward by any snitable operating hand-lever which is adapted to grooves in the sliding collar F, the thrust of the collar being taken up by the abutmentcollar A2, which is secured to the shaft A at the opposite end of the hoisting-drum. The

outer rim of the friction-pulley B is formed to receive a brake-strap, G, one end of which is secured to a hanger, H, while the other end is secured to one arm of an operating-lever, I, pivoted at i to the hanger.

lt will be seen that as each lever C acts upon the pressure-plate B2 at a point near its fulerum in one of the pivot-pins c, while pressure is applied through the collar D to the extreme inner ends of the levers, a large leverage is gained, thus multiplying the power of the operating-lever and its collar F.

The main feature of the friction-disks a and b is increase of frictional effect, due to the number of pairs of surfaces in the series of disks.

The operation of the friction-drum is as follows: A rope or chain may be fastened to the drum B, wherewith to lift the load, the shaft A being driven by an engine or other motive power, and its rotationv being shared by the hub A and the disks a. The disks b, being secured to the pulley B', are at ICO restj either from inertia or from the pulley being held by the brake-strap G When it is desired to hoist a load by'ineans' ofthe drum, the eollar F is forced inward sufficiently upon the collar D, thereby pressing the levers C upon the plate B2 and frictionallyuniting the pulley-disks lJ-with the rotating shaft-disks (t, thereby rotating the drum and raising the load. The load may be lowered by relaxing the pressure of the operating-lever upon the collar I), or by applying the brake-strap G with foree sufficient to hold the load, and then withdrawing the pr xssure upon the eollar I), so as to free the disks wholl y from frietional adhesion, after which the load can be held inV suspension or lowered by manipulating the brake-strap G.

In Fig. 3 I have shown my invention applied to a d Living-pulley for shafting, the.; and in plaee of the series of frictional disks a and L, I have shown the hub extending in the form of a disk between a friction-face, (l2, on the pulley B and a like friction-face, u?, on the p ressure-plate B2. I preferably face the disk of said hub A on one or both sides with a facing of wood or leather for frietional Contact with the disk-face of the pressureplate B2 on one side and that of the pulley B on the other. The hub f is so keyed to the shaft .that it will turn with said shaft, but will have a slight independent longitudinal move inent thereon. The levers C are hung in precisely the same manner as in Figs. 1 and 2; but in this instance I have shown the eollar F embraeed by a ring, F', having pins adapted to orifices in the forked lever J, secured to a roek-sl1aft,K,to which is also secured a lever, L, havin g an adj ustable weight, Il', at its outer end, by which means the frietional parts of the pulley are brought into and kept in con taet. The weight L and its position upon the lever may eaeh be varied in order to vary the driving Capacity of the pulley and to prevent the transmission of strains beyond the predetermined limitA i l In referring throughout the specification to a disk friction-clutch, I refer generally to such elutehes as require the coupling pressure to take effect in a line or lines parallel with the axis of rotation, so that my invention can. be applied to all clutches coming under this ela-ss.

I claim as my inventionl. The eombilvlation of a friotioneluteh, provided with disk-formed fri @tion-faces, with two or more pressing-levers, eaeh fulcrumed at the pulleyrim, and thence extending toward the pulley-axis, and a sliding collar embracing the free ends of all of said levers, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, ina friction-clutch, of the pulley or drum, the friction-disks, the presser-plate, a series of radiating` levers fulerunied at their outer ends to the pulley or drum, and each having a projection adapted to bear against the presser-plate, and a eentral sliding' eollar adapted to aet upon the converging ends of the levers, substantially as set forth.

3. rlhe eon'ibiuation, in a disk frictioneluteh, of the series of radiating levers, the Central sliding Collar aeting upon the oonverging ends of the said levers, and a pulley or drum Carrying adjustable fulerums for the levers, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subseribing witnesses.

THOS. A. IIESTON.

Witnesses:

SCHUYLER MERRITT, GEO. E. WHITE. 

